Attorney Arthur Bowman made a first-time run for judge in 36th District Court in 2012. Although he lost the election, he has a sense of what it takes for a newcomer to make a game attempt. “Getting grounded with the community organizations in your district and citywide is very important,” Bowman says. “The citywide groups are important for endorsements. It will take a significant amount of money. I can’t say how much it will cost a candidate to run for City Council, but you are not an incumbent and nobody owes you anything. I’d be terribly surprised if you can run an effective campaign on $20,000. It’s a very expensive and stressful and time-consuming proposition, but what is worth anything that isn’t those things? You have to be everywhere all the time, know everybody and have money to work with, and it’s hard even if you have all those things.”

I guess we’ll see how much money it takes to run in a district. Scott says that it takes about $1 million to run for mayor, and from $200,000 to $500,000 to make a citywide run for council. Things change fast in politics and the potential is here for things to change even faster than usual in our unclear political environment with a consent agreement and possible emergency manager in the wings.

One thing is certain: We’re entering unfamiliar political territory, and there could be a lot of surprises in store for Detroiters this year.

> Email Larry Gabriel